“But I’m really happy that I had that experience of being at the Ranch and understanding culturally what that was. And it wasn’t lost on me. I think for a lot of people it was like, ‘Hey, this is fun and exciting,’ and for me, my whole background had been working in sport, in professional sport, and watching these little touring sports get big, watching big touring sports get organized, and going oh my gosh, this thing is…I mean, I used to joke, I was talking to Tony [Budding] a long time ago, and he was like ‘Hey the Games are gonna be really big, they’re gonna have a video display there.’ And I was like, man you guys are sitting on the top of a rocket going, ‘Hey, look at how high we are!’ and I was like, you haven’t even hit the ignition switch yet. I was like, once this starts taking off, it has unlimited potential.” – Justin Bergh

As the General Manager of the CrossFit Games, Justin Bergh is the man behind the scenes, overseeing details large and small to ensure everything comes together at just the right moment to create a phenomenal global fitness festival. With the help of his CrossFit HQ team and over 800 volunteers, Justin plays an instrumental role in setting the stage to find and crown the Fittest Man and Woman on Earth each year.

A former aspiring major league baseball player, Justin suffered career ending injuries and used that challenge as an opportunity for growth. After graduating from a sports management program, he found success working for a sports technology company, but ultimately took a leap of faith and opened his own affiliate, CrossFit Southside, in order to pursue his passion of helping others become more fit.

Now a prominent leader within CrossFit HQ, Justin has literally worked his way to the top. After starting as an affiliate owner, Justin found his way to a role as an intern eventually a member and Flowmaster on the CrossFit Seminar Staff. As the CrossFit Games grew, Justin was also able to draw on his sports management experience, leading him to his current role as General Manager of the Games.

I recently caught up with Justin to chat about his role as General Manager and to get a peek behind the curtains at what it takes to produce the most anticipated CrossFit event of the year.

In this episode we discuss:

What Justin’s day-to-day schedule is like as the CrossFit Games event approaches

His athletic background and how he found CrossFit

The lessons Justin learned from multiple injuries as he pursued a dream of playing professional baseball

The path to opening his own affiliate

How Justin came to be involved with CrossFit HQ and the CrossFit Games

The growth and evolution of the CrossFit Games

The challenges of planning a competition for a constantly varied sport

How fantastic it is that a broad awareness of CrossFit is spreading, especially in a world dominated by screens

The structure of the Games production team

The scope of the volunteer component of the Games

The rehearsal process for preparing for events

The role of the CrossFit Demo team

What it’s like to work with Dave Castro on creating the Games

The most challenging and rewarding parts of Justin’s job

His excitement to be presenting the Games in Madison

How the CrossFit Games team decides which companies to partner with

The process to ensure a fair competition by testing for banned substances

Justin’s daily routine

Three things he does on a regular basis that have the biggest positive impact on his health

One thing that Justin thinks would have a big impact on his health but he struggles to implement

If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating. I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below and on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every other Tuesday.

This episode is brought to you by Thrive Market. By cutting out the middle man, Thrive Market delivers your favorite healthy food and lifestyle products to your doorstep at 25-50% lower cost than you would spend in the grocery store. Visit http://www.thrivemarket.com/ph to recieve an exclusive offer from Thrive Market for being a listener of Pursuing Health: 25% off your first order + a free 30 day trial!

This episode is also brought to you by Butcher Box. Butcher Box delivers 100% grass-fed and finished beef, free-range organic chicken, and heritage-breed pork directly to your doorstep, on your schedule. You can order curated or custom boxes of meat, and they always come with recipe ideas for you to explore. Visit butcherbox.com/Julieto recieve an exclusive offer for being a listener of Pursuing Health: $20 off your order + a free order of bacon!

Disclaimer: This podcast is meant to share the experiences of various individuals. It does not provide medical advice, and it is not a substitute for advice from your physician or health care professional.

“And when it comes to mental preparation, it requires the same level of intention as any other training program. It’s not gonna happen overnight. Being able to shift to that more internal motivation where you’re able to harness that energy when you’re having those bad days- that takes practice. And it’s not gonna happen naturally. And so, it’s incredibly important that people… that people develop a plan, that they invest in being intentional, and that they put as much focus on their mental training as they would for their physical training.” – Dr. MaryEllen Eller

A former gymnast-turned sports psychiatrist, MaryEllen Eller, MD, works with athletes to optimize their performance through the development of athlete-specific mental skills training. Dr. Eller completed her undergraduate education at Andrews University in Michigan prior to attending Loma Linda University for both medical school and residency training in psychiatry. She enjoys specializing in high performance medicine and finds that the principles utilized to improve athletic performance can carry over into day-to-day life, helping individuals excel at work and at home.

I recently caught up with Dr. Eller to talk about how athletes can use a positive mindset to improve their performance, the impact of perfectionism, and the importance of being intentional.

If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating. I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below and on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every other Tuesday.

This episode is brought to you by Thrive Market. By cutting out the middle man, Thrive Market delivers your favorite healthy food and lifestyle products to your doorstep at 25-50% lower cost than you would spend in the grocery store. Visit http://www.thrivemarket.com/ph to receive an exclusive offer from Thrive Market for being a listener of Pursuing Health: 25% off your first order + a free 30 day trial!

This episode is also brought to you by Butcher Box. Butcher Box delivers 100% grass-fed and finished beef, free-range organic chicken, and heritage-breed pork directly to your doorstep, on your schedule. You can order curated or custom boxes of meat, and they always come with recipe ideas for you to explore. Visit butcherbox.com/Julie to receive an exclusive offer for being a listener of Pursuing Health: $20 off your order + a free order of bacon!

Disclaimer: This podcast is meant to share the experiences of various individuals. It does not provide medical advice, and it is not a substitute for advice from your physician or health care professional.